Conventional vehicle odometers comprise a mechanical device for recording vehicle mileage which is installed on the instrument panel of the vehicle. These mechanical odometers tend to be bulky mechanisms which require too much space in a very crowded environment. To accommodate mechanical odometers, clearance holes are typically provided in instrument panel printed circuits, and in some cases, formed deep pocket are required. The mechanical odometers are also difficult to package and to illuminate. Since both trip odometers and total milage odometers are used, each instrument requires either two such packages or a large single package.
It is already known to employ liquid crystal displays (LCD) for instrument panel information. These electronically driven displays have a thin liquid crystal cell and can be illuminated by various arrangements which add bulk to the display. The various arrangements have had differing levels of success due to the cost of the overall package, the quality of illumination and the ease of incorporation into the instrument panel.